2025 Conference - Speakers

Gareth Bacon is the Conservative MP for Orpington, and has been an MP continually since 12 December 2019. He currently undertakes the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Andrew Goodwin - Chief UK Economist - Oxford Economics

Andrew leads Oxford Economics’ UK forecasting and analytical content. Andrew regularly commentates on the UK economic outlook in the print and broadcast media.

Andrew has more than 20 years’ experience as an economist. He has been with Oxford Economics since August 2008. Prior to joining Oxford Economics, he spent three years working for Experian, and before that Andrew spent four years as a senior economist at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Steve Sargent - Chief Product Officer - Triumph Motorcycles

Steve started working at Triumph Motorcycles in 1994, just as the first Speed Triple was being launched and Triumph were taking the bold step to re-enter the American market. In 1999 he moved to Malaysia to work in Triumph’s procurement hub in Kuala Lumpur before moving to Thailand in 2001 as Managing Director of Triumph Motorcycles (Thailand) Ltd. where the company has established state of the art manufacturing facilities.

Moving back to the UK in 2011, Steve helped to set up CKD manufacturing in Brazil and India to facilitate Triumph’s entry into those emerging markets as well as taking responsibility for the companies product strategy. Since 2016 Steve has been Triumph’s Chief Product Officer with responsibility for the product strategy and specification as well as having overall responsibility for the companies racing programmes, including Moto2 and the recent entry into Motocross, Supercross and Enduro racing.

Claire Haigh -  Managing Director - Zemo Partnership.

Presenting on Integrated Transport Strategy 

Claire also chairs the Delivery & Impacts Independent Review Panel for the Joint Air Quality Unit (Defra/DfT), is Founder & CEO of Greener Vision (formerly Greener Transport Solutions) & Executive Director of the Transport Knowledge Hub. She was previously Vice Chair of the Zemo Partnership and chaired the Remuneration Committee. She is Columnist for Passenger Transport magazine and writes regularly for Transport Times.

Peter Eland - Technical & Policy Director - Bicycle Association (BA), the trade body for the UK cycle and e-bike industry, which has ca 150 member companies spanning manufacturers, distributors, retailers and services.

Peter runs the organisation’s technical service, providing support for members and liaison with Government on regulations, compliance, standards and best practice.

Peter also participates in cycle and e-bike product safety standards development at BSI, CEN and ISO, and works more widely on policy to support the BA’s advocacy at UK and international levels.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Peter spent almost two decades in cycle sector publishing before joining the BA, including launching the UK’s first dedicated e-bike magazine in 2010. He has been leading the technical and regulatory work of the Bicycle Association since 2015.

Antonio Perlot - Secretary General - ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers

ACEM is advancing its vision for the L-Category vehicles through the development of six strategic pillars: road safety; jobs, growth and society; industry and innovation; urban living; circularity; and climate. Mr. Perlot has led ACEM since 2014, overseeing the association’s strategic direction, advocacy efforts, and engagement with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry leaders to ensure a favourable environment for the motorcycling sector.  

Prior to this, from 2006 to 2014, Mr Perlot served as ACEM Public Affairs Manager, advising the motorcycle industry on public and regulatory affairs. Between 2001 and 2006, Mr Perlot worked for the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA), first as Campaigns Officer, then as Secretary General. Prior to that, he worked at EPRO as a public affairs consultant representing clients from different industry sectors. He has also worked in the NGO sector.

Antonio holds a BA in Political Science with a specialisation in European integration from La Sapienza University and an MA in Diplomatic Studies from Società Italiana per l’Organizzazione Internazionale (SIOI). 

Jamie Baker - Director of External Relations - Fuels Industry UK.

Jamie was appointed in September 2018 and is responsible for outreach to stakeholders in government, industry, the media and the wider public. Jamie has worked in the downstream fuel sector for over a decade, joining the Department for Energy and Climate Change working on energy resilience specialising in oil stockholding, before taking on ownership of UK Government’s downstream oil policy brief.
 
Whilst working in government, Jamie worked in Ministerial offices before roles in planning for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, determining command and communication structures for emergency response before providing central government’s liaison and assurance for the running of London. He studied Politics at the University of Sheffield.

Christian Groeger - Engineering Electrification and Safety - BOSCH UK

1996 – 2000
University of Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe
Diploma Engineer in Mechatronics

2001 – 2004      
Porsche Engineering Services in Weissach  
Measurement for vehicles dynamics

2004 – 2008      
Robert Bosch GmbH in Abstatt
Application of vehicle dynamic systems

2008 – 2015      
Robert Bosch GmbH in Abstatt
Application of motorcycle safety systems

2015 – 2019      
Robert Bosch in Yokohama 
Global Technical Manager for 2WP

2019 –   
Robert Bosch GmbH in Abstatt
Director of Engineering EU for 2WP

Philip Reynolds - CVO CONNECTSU Ltd

Philip has been a serial innovator across the three technological revolutions.

• MD of Gimoer UK developer of Architrion, the world's 1st 3d PC CAD software (1984)
• Co-founder of  Supersite.net Worlds 1st B2B marketplace (1995)
• Co-founder of SmartStudy UK 1st Blackberry Edtech partner (2010)
• Founder of ImpartIQ Ltd UK 1st Education/Careers apps for iPhone/Android (2013)
• Director of ThoughtClan Technologies, a global software services company with 185 staff  
• Founder of CONNECTSU Ltd and creator of EXPO365, the World's 1st B2B/B2Talent platform 

Philip will be presenting 'Insights and ideas on how to attract future riders and talent'

Neil Fletcher - MCIA Chair & Head of Motorcycles - Honda UK

Neil joined the MCIA board in 2017. Having started his career in sales and marketing with Ford and Honda, Neil also worked for People First, the UK Sector Skills Council, and in consultancy.

Prior to his current role as Head of Motorcycling at Honda, his responsibilities included power products sales in the UK and training and development across the European region.

Tony Campbell - CEO - MCIA

Tony has been in post as CEO of MCIA since 2017, bringing extensive industry experience at all levels. Over the past seven years, he has adeptly guided the industry and MCIA through a period of significant change and challenge. His leadership and vision has been instrumental in positioning the sector positively with Government, which represents powered light two-, three-, and four-wheel vehicles as a key component of the future of transport and mobility. 

Alf Brierley - Director of Policy and Public Affairs - MCIA

Presenting: The sector's role as a solution in the future of transport

As Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Alfie leads the Association’s strategic efforts in government relations and public policy. With a deep understanding of the political landscape across Whitehall and Parliament, Alfie’s role is to shape and advocate for MCIA members’ interests. By fostering strong relationships with policymakers, Alfie ensures the voice of the L-Category industry is heard and effectively represented, working to create a favourable environment for the industry’s continued success.